Hosted by Dr. Sejal Patel (Director and Associate Professor, School of Early Childhood Studies), and featuring:

Ilana David is a social worker with over 15 years experience working with children, youth and families in mental health, 2SLGBTQ+ community services and education settings. Through the Gender and Sexual Diversity team in the TDSB, Ilana provides a range of support and consultation services, with a focus on gender and sexual diversity and gender-based violence prevention.  Ilana facilitates groups for parents and caregivers of trans, nonbinary and gender diverse students; provides training to school staff on relevant polices, procedures and best practices; and advocates for safer, 2SLGBTQ+-affirming school climates across the TDSB.


Malissa Bryan is a passionate equity, diversity, and inclusion specialist and advocate who supports individuals and organizations adopting anti-oppressive practices. In 2020 Malissa became the founder and CEO of the Rainbow Diversity Institute (RDI). A consulting firm that focuses on increasing awareness and support for EDI initiatives and training. Malissa also sits on the University of Guelph’s Presidential Advisory Committee on anti-racism and is a co-lead at the Live, Work, Well Centre in the Anti-Opression Research Lab cluster at the University of Guelph. Malissa received her Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree from the University of Guelph, majoring in Sociology and minoring in Anthropology. Malissa continued to complete a Master of Arts degree at the University of Guelph, their thesis focused on racialized collectives in predominantly white institutions (PWIs), examining the experiences of Black students and Black collectives in these spaces. Malissa is currently completing a Ph.D. in Sociology focusing on race, education, work, equity, and inclusion. Outside of professional work, Malissa enjoys long road trips with their wife and hiking with their pup.


Jo Jefferson is a queer/trans writer, parent, and community worker who has been on staff at The 519 since 2018. Jo's background is in popular education for personal and community transformation. They believe that we have to dream the world we want, and then work together to build it.

In this podcast, participants shared their perspectives on equity for 2SLGBTQIA+ students. The discussion was guided by the following questions: 

1. What are some promising approaches to enhancing equity for 2SLGBTQIA+ students in elementary schools (ages 4-13)?
2. What are some of the challenges that you/your organization has experienced in working to enhance equity for 2SLGBTQIA+ students in elementary schools?
3. In your view, what actions can be taken by education stakeholders in enhancing equity?

A transcript for this podcast episode can be found on the 'Podcasts' page of the Educational Equity Symposium website.